Factions: Guilds, Cults, Orders

I created a list of six faction types that I figure exist in the Rumors of War ‘verse — the last of which is the Guilds faction, which might seem out of place over a thousand years before the calendar starts, but it’s a fantasy world, right? I’m allowed some fun here and there. Plus, this faction category is designed to handle more than just anachronistic trade unions.

Guilds in the form of trade unions generally work within a framework of order created by tyrants — guilds organize workers, and through the guilds, the tyrants receive much better accounting and taxes, which they use to sustain the sort of environment necessary for the proliferation of guilds. Given the abundance of natural resources in the ancient world, contrasting with the scarcity of processed goods … guilds thrive.

The guild type also covers somewhat-anachronistic religious orders, but it follows along with that silly joke I maintain — everything we’ve done, the ancient Greeks did earlier, and probably better. Which I’ve extended to religious orders of knights and things. Trust me, a wizard probably had something to do with it. One of the main functions of guilds, beside production of goods, is the transportation of pilgrims.

Oh, and hunting pirates in their free time. And innovating. And other stuff. :P